Ranchi, Aug. 20: A former bureaucrat-turned-professor in the United States has come forward to help the Jharkhand government implement its health-for-all scheme that intends to provide quality and cheap medical care to the poor and downtrodden.

Allyala Krishna Nandakumar, a professor at the Heller School for Social Policy and Management at Brandeis University in Massachusetts, is so impressed by the “unique” Sarva Swastha Mission that he is willing to provide his expertise to the government.

Nandakumar was an IAS officer of the Maharashtra cadre who resigned from his services in 1994 as he found academics more alluring.

A teacher of international health policy management, Nandakumar has helped several countries implement medical schemes.

“I have been associated with health management programmes in nearly 25 low-and-middle income countries. But I have not come across such a unique programme in the health sector as the one planned by Jharkhand. I feel that if implemented successfully, this programme could be an eye-opener not only for other states in India, but for other countries too,” he said.

Considered to be a brainchild of chief minister Arjun Munda, the government has formed a Sarva Swastha Mission Trust, where the scheme would be implemented through public-private partnership.

The government plans to reach out to the poorest of the poor in remote parts of the state to provide health facilities at affordable rates.

Four corporate houses — Tatas, Essar Steel, Birlas and Jindals — have assured the government that they would donate generously for this scheme.